Circuit breaker mounting for stationary electrical induction apparatus



Oct. 2, 1956 J. B. COOPER ET AL CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING FOR STATIONARY ELECTRICAL INDUCTION APPARATUS Filed Nov. 12. 1953 5 m H W .Jolm 5. 00 061 [Yo/c1170 W Brown,

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United States Patent CIRCUIT BREAKER MOUNTING FOR STATION- ARY ELECTRICAL INDUCTION APPARATUS John B. Cooper and Noland W. Brown, Pittsfield, Mass., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November 12, 1953, Serial No. 391,427

4 Claims. (Cl. 200-172) This invention relates to a circuit breaker mounting for stationary electrical induction apparatus, and more particularly, to an internal circuit breaker mounting for enclosed stationary electrical induction apparatus or transformers.

It is well known in the transformer art to mount an internal circuit breaker directly on the core or core clamps of a transformer within the transformer tank. The circuit breaker is actuated by manipulating an operating rod extending through a side wall of the transformer tank. The interior end of said operating rod is connected to the circuit breaker by a mechanical linkage. Accordingly the design of the mechanical linkage is governed by the difference in height between the core or core clamps and the operating rod.

Sometimes a replacement or an improvement in the transformer results in a core or tank having an altered height. Any one of these changes or combinations thereof often requires an entirely new mechanical linkage to permit the operating rod to properly control the circuit breaker.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide in a stationary electrical induction apparatus comprising a magnetic core enclosed within a tank having a circuit breaker therein, an improved mounting for said circuit breaker whereby said circuit breaker and mounting are substantially divorced from said magnetic core.

It is a further object of this invention to provide in a stationary electrical induction apparatus having a magnetic core enclosed within a tank having a circuit breaker therein connected by a mechanical linkage to an operating rod passing through a side wall of said tank, an improved mounting for said circuit breaker whereby the design of said linkage is substantially independent of the height of said core and tank.

In a stationary electrical induction apparatus having a magnetic core enclosed within a. tank having a circuit breaker therein connected by a mechanical linkage to an operating rod passing through a side wall of said tank, our invention comprises a mounting for said circuit breaker whereby the design of said linkage is substantially independent of the height of said core and tank comprising an upright L-shaped bracket disposed above said core and spaced therefrom, said circuit breaker mounted on a base leg portion of said L-shaped bracket, said operating shaft extending through an upper end portion of an upright leg portion of said L-shaped bracket.

Our invention further comprises an improved circuit breaker mounting for a circuit breaker disposed within a tank having a transformer core therein wherein said circuit breaker and mounting are substantially divorced from said core comprising an upright L-shaped bracket positioned above said core and spaced therefrom, said circuit breaker mounted on a base leg portion of said L- shaped bracket, said bracket supported from a side wall of said tank at an upper end portion of an upright leg portion of said L-shaped bracket.

The invention will be better understood by considering the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view, partly broken away, of a preferred form of the invention. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective, partly broken away, of said preferred form of invention.

Referring now to the drawing, shown therein is a stationary electrical induction apparatus or transformer 10 comprising a magnetic core 11 and electrical windings 12 positioned within a tank or casing 13. Disposed within tank or casing 13 is a circuit breaker or switch mechanism 14 located above and spaced from the magnetic core 11 and core clamps 15.

Two leads 16 extend from secondary windings, not shown, of electrical windings 12 to a pair of circuit breaker or switch mechanism bimetallic elements 17 which in turn are in electrical contact with a pair of circuit breaker or switch mechanism stationary contacts 18. A pair of movable contacts 19 have two leads 20 extending therefrom and connected to a pair of three terminal bushings 21 located at an upper portion of the tank or casing 13. A lead 22 extends from a neutral point in the secondary windings, not shown, of electrical windings 12 to the other of said three terminal bushings 21.

Movable contacts 19 are carried by an arm 23 pivoted at one end thereof for counterclockwise movement due to the biasing action of a spring 24 positioned between the other end of arm 23 and a base portion 25 which carries the circuit breaker or svw'tch mechanism parts. The contacts 18 and 19 are shown in their circuit closed position.

Two latch elements 26 and 27 maintain contacts 18 and 19 in the circuit closed position. Latch element 26 is biased clockwise by a spring, not shown, whereby a catch portion thereof will book under latch element 27 to prohibit arm 23 from being pivoted counterclockwise by spring 24. One end of each of the bimetallic elements 17 carries a pin 28. When an overcurrent or the like occurs in the stationary electrical induction apparatus or transformer 10 the bimetal elements 17 will be deflected upwardly. Accordingly, pins 28 will cause latch element 26 to rotate counterclockwise away from the latch element 27. Thereafter the arm 23 is no longer restrained from being pivoted counterclockwise whereupon spring 24 will cause counterclockwise pivotal movement of arm 23 to separate contacts 19 and 18 whereby the electrical circuit of the stationary electrical induction apparatus or transformer 10 is automatically interrupted or broken.

The circuit breaker 14 may be opened and closed exteriorly of tank 13 by operating an operating handle 29. counterclockwise movement of handle 29 causes counterclockwise rotation of operating shaft or rod 30. Counterclockwise rotation of shaft or rod 30 results in upward movement of an adjustable link 31 and a latch release member 32 having a lost motion connection with arm 23. Upward lost motion movement of member 32 causes a finger 33 thereof to pivot latch element 26 counterclockwise away from latch element 27 whereby spring 24 is free to cause pivotal counterclockwise movement of arm 23 and separation of contacts 18 and 19.

Clockwise rotation of handle 29 from the OFF to the ON position causes downward movement of link 31 and member 32 thereby pivoting arm 23 clockwise until electrical contact is established between contacts 18 and 19. Thereafter the spring, not shown, biasing latch element 26 clockwise will cause the catch portion thereof to hook underneath latch element 27 whereby contacts 18 and 19 are retained in their circuit closed position.

The support means for circuit breaker or switch mechanism 14 comprises an upright L-shaped bracket or clamps.

mounting member 34. As seen most clearly in Fig. 1, the base leg portion of bracket or member 34 extends substantially normal to the left hand side wall of tank or casing 13. Said base leg portion of bracket 34 is disposed above the core 11 and core clamps 15 and spaced therefrom. The circuit breaker or switch mechanism 14 is carried by or mounted on said base leg portion of bracket 34. An aperture 35 is formed in the left hand side Wall of tank or casing 13. In an upper end portion of the upright leg portion of bracket 34 is formed an aperture 36. The upright leg portion of bracket 34 extends substantially parallel to said apertured side wall of tank or casing 13 and apertures 35 and 36 are aligned with respect to each other. Passing through aligned apertures 35 and 36 is an apertured operating shaft guide bearing or bushing 37 whereby the upright L-shaped bracket or mounting member 34 is supported from the apertured side wall of tank or casing 13 by the guide bearing or bushing 37. Shaft or rod 30 passes through the apertured operating shaft guide bearing or bushing 37 and is journaled therein for rotary motion.

Formed integral with handle 29 is a pointer 38 cooperative with an integral dial portion 39 of bearing or bushing 37 to indicate whether the circuit breaker or switch mechanism 14 is in the open or closed position. Formed about a central portion of bearing or bushing 37 is a cylindrical external flange 40 adapted to abut an outer surface of the apertured side wall of tank or casing 13 to seal the aperture 35. A cup-shaped spring washer 41 is interposed between the upper end of bracket 34 and the apertured side wall of tank 13 and the innermost end of bearing or guide 37 is threaded. A nut 42 turned down on the threaded portion of guide or bearing 37 insures that the aperture is suitably sealed by flange and that the bearing or bushing 37 and bracket 34 will not rotate.

It will now be apparent that in our circuit breaker or switch mechanism mounting the design of the mechanical linkage connecting the operating shaft and the circuit breaker or switch mechanism is not necessarily dictated by the diiference in height between the transformer core and the operating shaft inasmuch as the circuit breaker or switch mechanism and the mounting thereof are substantially divorced from the magnetic core and core The mounting for the circuit breaker or switch mechanism is substantially independent of the magnetic core and tank height whereby the circuit breaker and its mounting may be readily installed as a completely assembled unit in a stationary electrical induction apparatus tank having a proper opening or aperture in a side wall thereof adapted to receive the guide bushing or bearing in which the operating shaft or rod is journaled.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modification may be made without departing from the invention, and that it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a transformer comprising a magnetic core positioned within a tank having a circuit breaker therein actuatable by a rotatable operating shaft extending through a side wall of said tank, a mounting for said circuit break- 6 er comprising an upright L-shaped bracket, a base leg portion of said bracket disposed above said core and spaced therefrom, said circuit breaker mounted on said base leg portion, an aperture in said side wall, an apertured operating shaft guide bushing extending through said aperture, said rotatable shaft journaled in said guide bushing, an upper portion of an upright leg portion of said bracket having an aperture therein, said guide bushing extending through said upper portion aperture and supporting said bracket.

2. In a transformer comprising a magnetic core positioned within a tank having a circuit breaker therein actuatable by an operating rod extending through a side wall of said tank connected at an inner end thereof by a mechanical linkage to said circuit breaker whereby said circuit breaker can be operated from exteriorly of said tank, a mounting for said circuit breaker whereby the design of said mechanical linkage is substantially independent of the height of said core and tank comprising an upright L-shaped bracket, a base leg portion of said bracket positioned above said core and spaced therefrom, said circuit breaker positioned on said base leg portion, an aperture in said side wall and an upper end portion of an upright leg portion of said bracket, said apertures aligned with respect to each other and an apertured operating rod guide bearing extending through said apertures whereby said bracket is supported from said side wall by said apertured operating rod guide bearing, said operating rod extending through said apertured operating rod guide bearing.

3. In a mechanism enclosed within a casing adapted to be operated by a shaft extending through a side wall of said casing, support means for said mechanism comprising an upright L-shaped bracket, said mechanism mounted on a base leg portion of said bracket, an aperture in said side wall and an upper end portion of an upright leg portion of said bracket, said apertures aligned with respect to each other, an apertured guide bushing extending through said aligned apertures whereby said bracket is supported from said side wall by said apertured guide bushing, said shaft extending through said apertured guide bushing.

4. In a transformer comprising a magnetic core positioned within a tank having a circuit breaker therein operable by a shaft extending through a side wall of said tank and connected at an inner end thereof *by a mechanical linkage to said circuit breaker, a mounting for said circuit breaker comprising an upright L-shaped bracket, a base leg portion of said bracket extending substantially normal to said side wall and disposed above said core and spaced therefrom, said circuit breaker mounted on said base leg portion, an upright leg portion of said bracket disposed substantially parallel to said side wall, an aperture in said side wall, an aperture in an upper end portion of said upright leg portion, said apertures aligned with respect to each other, an apertured operating shaft guide bearing extending through said aligned apertures and connected to said side wall whereby said bracket is supported from said side wall by said bearing, said shaft extending through said apertured guide bearing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 714,436 Badeau Nov. 25, 1902 1,163,424 Lincoln Dec. 7, 1915 1,859,969 Jansson May 24, 1932 

